Château
La Fleur Peyrabon 2003 Pauillac, BordeauxThis is a nicely refined, classic Claret - who'd have thought it from
a 2003? Dark coloured, it has an attractive nose of sweet dark fruit with
some chocolatey richness and subtly tarry, roasted, gravelly definition.
It smells fresh. The palate is supple and midweight with an earthy,
gravelly edge to the bright, sweet dark fruits. There’s really good
balance here. Fresh and supple; very digestible. Very good/excellent (c£15,
Millesima)

Arretxea Irouléguy 2004 Southwest FranceI love Irouléguy, and this is a good one. A deep cherry red colour,
it has a wonderful nose of bright red fruit with a delicious, minerally,
gravelly, rain on a hot pavement quality. Deep and quite complex. The
palate shows fresh fruit and more of that gravelly quality, together with
a meaty depth. It’s fresh, focused and savoury: the sweet fruit makes it
accessible but what I enjoy is the minerally savoury depth and the
freshness. Very
good/excellent 92/100 (Les Caves de Pyrene, www.lescaves.co.uk)

De Bortoli Gulf Station Pinot Noir 2005 Yarra
Valley, AustraliaA delicious, affordable Pinot from Yarra star De Bortoli. Sweet, open
bright cherryish fruit is the main player, but it’s well balanced and
nicely countered by some spiciness. There’s a bit of Pinot medicinal
character and some structure, too. An impressive expression of the New
World Pinot style. Very good+ 89/100 (£8.99 Oddbins)

Sainsbury’s Albariño 2005 Rias Baixas, SpainMade by Lagar de Fornelos. Bright, focused, limey spicy fruit on the
nose. Nicely crisp, but rich at the same time. The palate is full
flavoured, warmly fruited and has just a hint of nuttiness under the
almost overwhelming citrussy freshness. Assertive and complex. Very good+
89/100 (£6.99 Sainsbury)

Champagne Devaux Cuvée Rosé NVDevaux are Rose specialists, and this wine is a lovely salmon pink
colour. Very fine nose of herbs, toast and soft strawberry fruit. The palate is
quite broad with delicate balance, nice fruitiness and a creamy, bready
texture. There’s even a bit of grip on the finish. Very good/excellent
90/100 (£24.95 Moriarty, Frank Stainton, Robersons, Villeneuve, Liberty
Wine)

Kendermanns
Dornfelder 2005 Pfalz, GermanyThis German red has a lovely purity of soft fruit, a trademark of the
Dornfelder grape. Nice open nose of sweet red fruits. The palate is soft
and fruity with lovely accessible pure red berry fruits. Almost no tannin;
just a little bit of spiciness. A soft, ripe, rich, almost jammy wine
that’s easy to drink. Very good 84/100 (£4.99 Tesco)

Naked
Grape Riesling 2005 Pfalz, GermanyOn the back label Ernst Loosen says he had a ‘vision of a fruity,
off-dry Riesling with such purity of flavour that it can truly be called
“The Naked Grape”’, and with this wine he’s succeeded. It is
crisp, clean, lemony and herby. Quite bright with a bit of transparency
and a rounded texture. Simple, fruity and versatile. Screwcapped with a
Saranex liner. Very good+ 86/100 (£5.99 Waitrose, EH Booth)

Charles
Back Chenin Blanc Viognier 2006 Paarl, South AfricaGorgeous forward, ripe nose with pear, melon and a bit of honey. Ripe,
broad and perfumed. The palate is fat and fruit, yet fresh and expressive.
Lots of flavour here, hitting all the way across the spectrum. Finishes
Fresh. Very good+ 88/100 (£7.99 Somerfield)

Wolf Blass Yellow Label Riesling 2005 South
AustraliaSweet limey fruit on the nose, which is quite spicy with a nice
savoury presence. The palate is bright and has a lovely spicy liminess,
along with a rich texture. It’s dry, but with enough weight and richness
for it not to be at all austere. A versatile wine that has the advantage
of being available just about everywhere. Very good+ 87/100 (£6.99
Morrisons, etc)